The present invention relates to organosilicon polymers having recurring silylene-1,3-butadiyne units. In particular, the invention relates to reaction products of hexachloro-1,3-butadiene and n-butyllithium followed by quenching with certain dichlorosilanes to provide useful polymers that have good film-forming properties, at least one of which can be pulled into fibers, all of which are thermally converted into silicon carbide with a high ceramic yield, and many of which offer attractive candidates for electrical conduction and non-linear optical properties.
Moreover, it is unique to the present invention that the polymers are prepared in high yield, in a single-pot economical reaction, which uses convenient and ordinary temperature and pressure limits and ranges.
Accordingly, it is the primary objective of the present invention to prepare a series of silylene- and disilylene-1,3-butadiyne polymers that can be cast into films, that if they have a pendant aryl moiety fibers can be pulled from solution, that are polymers that can be thermally converted in high ceramic yield into silicon-carbide containing ceramics, and which provide polymers which are attractive candidates for electrical conduction and nonlinear optical properties.
The method and means of accomplishing this primary objective, as well as others, will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter.